


Acting the Part

by Duck_Life



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Coming Out, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Nervousness, compulsory heterosexuality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 22:25:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16105052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: “It is as if you seek out women not based on your actual attraction to them, but on your need to establish yourself as a human male with the same needs and desires as other human males.” Geordi blinks. When Data complains about how little he understands humans, Geordi never agrees.Data’s always been able to read him like a tricorder.





	Acting the Part

“ _ Ow _ .”

“If you remain still, this will be over sooner,” Data promises, plucking another spine from Geordi’s shoulder. Crusher already removed the worst of them, after which he'd decided it would be less mortifying to ask Data to do the rest in his quarters.

They'd been docked at Jemison Station to refuel, and he'd met an Otlean woman who showed interest in him. Which was nice, until it wasn't, and she revealed she was only getting close to Geordi so she could incapacitate him with her quills and suck out his bone marrow. (Fortunately— but still mortifyingly— Commander Riker and Troi had shown up before the Otlean could finish the job.)

“Data, why's this always happening to me?” he sighs, tipping his head back against the wall behind him. He's sitting on the edge of his desk, his feet dangling an inch above the floor, while Data works meticulously in front of him. 

“I believe it is because your desperation and visible longing for affection make you an easy target,” Data replies.

Geordi bristles and reminds himself that Data doesn't mean anything by it, he's just trying to be a good friend. He's just being… Data. “That was a rhetorical question.”

“Oh.” Data pulls out another quill and sets it in the gradually accumulating pile on the other side of the desk. “My apologies.”

Geordi sighs again. “It's not like I'm constantly chasing after women, though,” he points out. “I mean, I'm not Commander Riker. But whenever I do show interest in a woman… everything ends in disaster. What's wrong with me?”

Data frowns. “Another rhetorical question?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.” Data tilts his head to the side, pausing in his efforts to dequill Geordi. “May I make an observation?” Geordi waves his hand in a noncommittal gesture that basically means  _ Go for it.  _ “Unlike Commander Riker, who pursues women because of his attraction to them, it seems that you pursue women  _ because  _ they are unattainable.”

“What?”

“For example, you fell in love with Leah Brahms when she was only a hologram, and then again when you discovered she was a married woman,” Data elaborates. “You grew attached to Lieutenant Aquiel Uhnari after believing she had been murdered, and then later when she was implicated in a murder you became even more attached.”

“It's a human thing, Data,” Geordi assures him. “You always want the ones you can't have.”

“You more than others,” Data notes. He leans forward and removes another quill from Geordi’s arm. Geordi's got his uniform unzipped, the top half pooled around his waist so Data can get to his exposed arms. “It is as if you seek out women not based on your actual attraction to them, but on your need to establish yourself as a human male with the same needs and desires as other human males.” Geordi blinks. When Data complains about how little he understands humans, Geordi never agrees. Data’s always been able to read him like a tricorder. “Is that accurate?”

“Yeah.” Geordi swallows around a lump in his throat. “Yeah, that’s accurate, Data.”

“I recognize similar behavior in myself,” Data continues, carefully pulling out a quill from beneath Geordi’s collarbone. Geordi winces. “In the past, I have attempted to pursue women because I viewed it as a human behavior I wanted to understand and emulate. I do not know why you do it, Geordi.” 

Geordi rubs a hand over his mouth, feeling his pulse thump erratically. “Yeah, I don’t know either,” he says, even though he does. 

“It is possible,” Data muses, “that you go after unattainable women so that you can prove yourself as a heterosexual male without ever being obligated to follow through.” 

“Careful, Data, you’re starting to sound like Troi,” Geordi jokes, hoping his casual smile covers up the way his brain is starting to short-circuit and slip into panic mode. He’s been covering up and acting a part for so long he doesn’t know how else to be. 

“I am just attempting to understand  _ why _ ,” Data says, still looking troubled. “Homophobia was eradicated with the worldwide legalization of same-sex marriage in 2084.” 

Geordi coughs out a laugh. “Who told you that?”

Data shrugs. “It is history.” 

“Well… people don’t change just because a piece of paper says they should,” Geordi sighs, his nervous fingers knitting in the fabric of his uniform, still unzipped. “Racism didn’t end with the Civil Rights Act in the mid-20th century. And homophobia didn’t end in 2084.”

“My mistake,” Data says, ducking his head. “When did it end?”

“It…” Geordi shakes his head. “It didn’t end, Data. Just because humans discovered a whole bunch of other bases to discriminate on— whether you’re a Klingon or an android or Cardassian, etcetera— we didn’t stop discriminating based on all the old stuff. I mean, every time I meet a new Starfleet officer I know I’m getting judged on the fact that I’m blind. And I’m getting judged on the color of my skin. If I had to deal with one more thing, one more reason people were judging me before they ever even saw me work on a warp core…”

“Last one,” Data says, pulling out the final quill and laying it with the others. Geordi tugs his uniform back up and slides his arms into the sleeves. “What ‘one more thing’ are you referring to?”

“You know me better than anyone, Data,” Geordi says, zipping up his uniform. “What do you think?”

Data watches him for a moment, considering. “May I test a hypothesis?” he says finally.

“Sure.” 

And without any more warning, Data kisses him. 

It’s methodical and systematic and very  _ Data _ . The kiss lasts for exactly three seconds before Data steps away, gauging his reaction.

“Well?” Geordi asks, feeling mildly out of breath. It’s not like he hasn’t kissed other men before— men who didn’t have his same hangups about his sexuality, men who could be happy and open with themselves in a way he’s never been able to. But he’s never kissed  _ Data _ before, and that realization, that sense of newness and excitement kind of knocked the wind out of him. 

Data considers. “I am… unsure of anything,” he admits. 

“Well,” Geordi says, reaching out to put one shaky hand on Data’s waist, “maybe you need more research.” 

Data doesn't need much more encouragement to get back in Geordi’s personal space again and press his lips against Geordi’s. Ready for it this time, Geordi kisses back.

There are a couple things that Geordi knows about his best friend, things that he knows logically but hasn't actually experienced before the way he is now. Like the fact that Data’s lips aren't cold or stiff, but warm with the buzz of electricity, soft against his own. 

Kissing Data doesn't feel like kissing another human, and it doesn't feel like kissing a machine either. It just feels like kissing Data. It feels nice.

Data pulls away first, but he looks pleased. “Was that adequate?”

Geordi laughs, breathless, but stops when he sees the look on Data’s face. “Sorry, just… ‘adequate.’ That was  _ great _ . Wh— where did you learn to kiss like that?”

“I have been in several plays,” Data reminds him.

“You kiss like that in  _ plays _ ?”

Geordi gets the feeling that if it were possible, Data would be blushing. “Well, not like  _ that _ .” 

Geordi hops down from the desk, feeling kind of weightless and relieved… and happy. “So what, um, what did you figure out? Your hypothesis,” he reminds Data. 

“You are gay.”

Geordi laughs again, but this time it's all nerves. “Y-yeah,” he says, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah, I am. It's just not something I like talking about or… thinking about, if I'm being honest.”

Data nods, processing that. “You are attracted to me.”

Geordi actually does blush. “Yeah.”

“I am attracted to you.”

Geordi steps closer to him, suddenly hyper-aware of the extra inches in height Data has on him. “Are you?” 

“My capacity for affection and attraction has never been limited by sex or gender,” Data explains. “My only limit has been… my own struggle to comprehend emotions,” he goes on. “You, Geordi, have always been an exception to that limitation.”

“Because we’re best friends,” Geordi says, finding himself closer and closer. His heart is thudding in his chest, and he suddenly feels jealous that Data doesn’t have to deal with human nerves, with racing pulses and sweaty palms and the ugly monster of doubt. 

“Or because we are more than that,” Data corrects him. “But I require more research.” And he kisses Geordi again.

Geordi doesn’t feel jealousy or nerves or doubt. Just happy. 

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
